I need some advice . I’m looking after a two year old Labradoodle who belonged to a family member but because of work commitments the original owner gave it to her mother to care for. So the dog is totally gorgeous and responsive on a walk which is great. He follows me everywhere which although endearing is perhaps a sign that he needs reassurance that I’m close by. He has chewed his bed after a good walk and feeding .. so no real excuse! I can even be in the room and he’s surreptitiously starting! He’s not too bad when left for short periods.. but as the dog is locked in the kitchen he is restricted about damage. Food is out of reach so it’s just damage to a bed! I should mention this destructive behaviour began after he had been kept at a kennel for a week. Now the owner is arranging sitters in situ.He is with two Spanish water dogs, sisters, one blind but the other still up for an hour’s walk each day.
When taken out onto the garden ( no grass, just gravelled and tiled areas.) the owner said keep him on a lead .. the fence is electrified..( wild boar are roaming in the area as it’s very rural here)
Some one said maybe he’s bored ? There’s no toy box as such.. so I gave him a ball to play with .. big mistake !
I’ve withdrawn the damaged beds and kept them in my room . This is out of bounds as the dog has been known to mark the bedclothes!
I found some faeces down stairs and he would be the prime suspect as the other dogs are elderly and well trained.. He is very agile and energetic so he’d easily manage the stairs..maybe being on a lead is making him inhibited outside when the others are going to the toilet? He’s never pooed whilst on the lead with me.. He readily goes on a walk.. which he gets daily . Maybe he’s trying to hold back for that event?
For the destruction…First, he shouldn’t have access to beds, unless they are a sturdy gym-mat type of dog bed. Or a raised cot, which many dogs enjoy. But no more big fluffy beds as he’s just rehearsing bad behavior (destruction) with them.
He does need toys but you’ll have to get ones targeted towards super-chewers. Black Kongs stuffed with yummy food and frozen are indestructible and give many dogs a relief from boredom and an appropriate outlet to funnel their anxiety. It takes my dog a good 30 minutes to get through a stuffed King and she is expert level. They solve many behavior problems and aren’t used enough. Most meals should be fed from a feeder or puzzle toy to help mentally tired out dogs like this by getting them to think and work for their food.
For the pooping inside - make sure his meals are on a schedule. Has he been to the vet lately to rule out any medical conditions? Lastly, make sure if he does have an accident it’s cleaned up well with enzymatic cleaner. Feeding a small meal in a spot that he’s pooped inside helps him understand not to poop there.
Lastly, his underlying problem does seem to be boredom and frustration. Get a long line (30 feet) to at least give him some room to roam and move about in a natural fashion. If the fence is electrified why is he not allowed off lead? Dogs really do need to feel some level of freedom so all the time on lead is likely frustrating.
Boredom is solved by getting him thinking so look into training and dog sports. Trick training is fun, easy and can be done at home. Focus on short sessions, 5-10 minutes at a time, 2-3 times a day. I recommend a book, “The Big Book of Dog Tricks” - get the printed version as the photos help - which breaks down in a step by step way how to train many tricks.
Training combined with enrichment should help this young dog calm down.
Also, Facebook has groups dedicated to dog enrichment ideas. A simple one I like (especially for dogs that like to shred) is take an empty cardboard egg carton, put treats or kibble inside, close it, and let pup shred it.
Other easy DIY enrichment - fill a muffin tin with treats or berries. Add water or broth and freeze. Let pup enjoy licking away and getting to the treats. Or wrap treats in an old towel and knot it up, and let pup have fun unraveling it. Scatter feeding (tossing kibble around the house and /or yard and letting pup go on a scavenger hunt is a natural way for pup to engage its keen sense of smell and is naturally soothing for most dogs.
Lots of other DIY tips on Facebook, look for canine enrichment groups.
That’s so great and full of helpful ideas.. thanks so much! I’m on the second day of a 3 day sit which may be another problem right there! The owner is determined to improve the dog’s behaviour and I’m sure it will happen quickly. I used a zip wire when we couldn’t afford fencing and we were just renting a place. It worked really well. The dog is a Houdini and has got out of the garden.. it’s very wild beyond and he’s prey focused, usually setting the others off by barking deeply and loudly at the slightest thing! First night it was 2.00 am ! Thank you Freddy!
A long line, preferably attached to a harness. Get him running about. They make flirt poles for dogs (an enticing toy on a long stick) that dogs with prey drive usually love and really tired them out chasing, lunging and jumping after it. Also have had fun with dog bubbles - inexpensive and available on Amazon - as an easy way to get dogs running about the garden. They are scented with peanut butter or bacon to get the dogs interested in chasing after them. My girl loves them
You know he lets me photograph him and he’s not growling about his chew.. well there’s no way I’d fancy sharing that anyway! But he’s going to be one superb dog.. I’m already too attached! 2 days! Pull myself together!
Look up a trainer on YouTube - Susan Garrett - and find the post where she explains what she calls ‘Vito’s game’. You can play it inside with everyday objects, and the best part is you can sit there with a glass of wine and the dog runs around and tires themselves out.
Susan is a world champion dog agility trainer and her YouTube channel is free with GREAT advice on dog training and enrichment. Highly recommend.
And my pup ends up exhausted after 15 minutes of Viti’s game (and once the dog figures out the game you can make it more difficult haha). I don’t even get to finish my glass of wine before she is lying down for a nap.
Yep, I subscribe to her channel. I love how she explains the why behind her methods, and her dogs are always so well behaved! And all done with reinforcement based methods!
Here are the beds in the living room. They have 3 in the kitchen too. Not allowed on furniture but still very well provided for! The “garden “ is tiled around pool etc and gravelled drive. Next door is wilderness!
He is bored. There are chew toys you can get that even have a mouth feel they like. Is there a dog park you can take him to so he can run off his energy. I have a repeated paid sit with that same breed. He loves playing tug of war. He has some toys he enjoys playing by himself. We go to a dog park plus he gets long walks. He doesn’t chew anything he is not supposed to and he is 3. I think for his PP investing in an automatic ball throw machine would be a good idea. You just have to teach the dog once he retrieves it to drop it back in the machine. Many YouTube videos on it. Smart dogs are bored if not provided with the stimulation they need. Good Luck. Maybe the PP needs some guidance.
This is the type of bed he should have, either out and shared with the other dogs, or in the kitchen area with him (hope the Amazon link is allowed). It’s a little pricey but they are indestructible!
That wall looks like a pretty good boundary but if he’s still trying to escape a long line is cheap and still lets him move about.
There is sport called Canine Parkour and looking at that stone wall makes me think of it right away. Parkour is often called urban agility and involves getting dogs to engage with their environment on natural ways - climbing, jumping, balancing, going on top of and over things. Google it and you’ll see lots of advice of simple ways to get started.
It’s great for you g dogs because they experience the world through thier paws - and engaging with different obstacles gets them feeling much more confident!
Fabulous walking here. As there’s a big age gap he’s two the others are 11, going on 12! One is blind so housebound now.. I’ve done some of the routes here and racked up good steps counts.. but the owner said the 11 year old wouldn’t cope.. I don’t think taking one dog is fair on the active one. I like the ball machine idea. Freddy loves swimming in the pool here. He’s got it made! But owner says when she’s distracted gardening he shoots off under the fence or over it! No dog park as its National Park type landscape. There are rabbits, foxes, boar etc so lots of barking to let me know ! Good job I can take my hearing aids out!
I arrived midday Tuesday and have one more day here.. I’m certainly not bored.. but trying hikes isn’t always easy with a dog.. I could get lost, I came back along narrow country roads, cars , cyclists and pedestrians.. I wouldn’t want to endanger the dog.
Other hazards are processionary caterpillars these are their nests!
There’s serious rock climbing .. I’d take him swimming but it’s a tad cold still!
I’ve only been away from the property on my own for two hours each day, but the weather is glorious and exploring is what I enjoy. If it were just Freddy I could do more for him but he’s got my attention once I’m back. The owner has had to accept Freddy when she didn’t really choose him originally.. a difficult one. I would have done the same though!
You’ve said elsewhere that you’re 2 days into a 3 day sit. You have one day to go. Why worry about strategies? In any case, it’s not a sitter’s responsibility to train someone else’s untrained dog.
@Highfive, yikes. doesn’t sound good. seems that you’re closing day 2 of a 3 day sit so almost over.
We’ve housesit for a few dogs that with atypically strong jaws. Hosts managed this - and we followed their instruction - through mixture of very robust chew toys (much more so than typical toys) and paid dog walk/run services (lots energy drain). We’d encourage you to find the strongest chew toy in the house and encourage dog to play with it.
More broadly, we’re completed housesits for plenty of dogs that commenced the housesit with excess energy - that often requires a few days of good walks to drain. Many possible reasons but clearly common.
